The general impression is that the New Delhi summit offers a preview of what the international system might become in the coming years. Join us on Telegram , Twitter , and VK . Contact us: info@strategic-culture.su Renewed cooperation The meeting of the National Security Advisers of the BRICS countries, which opened in New Delhi under India’s chairmanship of the group, represents much more than a simple technical gathering focused on emerging threats. Behind the official topics—cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, terrorism, digital infrastructure security, and unconventional threats—a much broader geopolitical dynamic is emerging: the gradual transformation of the BRICS from an economic platform into a full-fledged strategic forum for the multipolar world.
The meeting chaired by Ajit Doval comes at a particularly delicate juncture in the international system. The recent crisis in the Middle East, the difficult normalization process between Washington and Tehran, the strategic rivalry between the United States and China, and the transformations of the global economic order have heightened the importance of bodies capable of coordinating positions among the major non-Western powers.
It is therefore not surprising that the presence of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has attracted particular attention. His visit to New Delhi is, in fact, another step in the gradual thaw in relations between India and China, which—after years of tensions along the Himalayan border—now appears to be entering a more structured phase .
To understand the significance of the current rapprochement, it is important to recall that relations between the two major Asian powers went through one of the most difficult phases in their recent history following the 2020 clashes in the Ladakh region.
For several years, political dialogue remained limited, and numerous bilateral mechanisms were suspended. Yet over the past two years, there has been a gradual reversal of this trend. Meetings between top political leaders, military negotiations along the Line of Actual Control, and a growing awareness of the need to prevent destabilization in Asia have helped reopen channels of communication that had appeared to be compromised.
In talks held on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Doval and Wang Yi acknowledged the progress made toward normalizing bilateral relations. According to diplomatic sources, both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening dialogue and preventing border disputes from affecting the entire strategic relationship.
The most significant development is not so much the resumption of diplomatic contacts as the fact that India and China appear to share a growing convergence of views regarding the transformations of the international order.
While maintaining deep strategic differences, both powers are closely observing the gradual weakening of Western unilateralism and the need to build international institutions that are more representative of the political and economic weight of the Global South, which is the political “heart” of the partnership. Security in a multipolar context India’s 2026 presidency is taking place under the motto “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability,” a slogan that reflects New Delhi’s ambition to further expand the group’s scope of action.
BRICS is no longer merely a mechanism for economic cooperation. The expansion to eleven members has profoundly altered the nature of the organization. Alongside the original major emerging economies now sit key regional players such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. This expansion has inevitably introduced new demands for political and security coordination.
The issues addressed in New Delhi bear witness to this evolution. Cyberattacks, digital vulnerabilities, international terrorism, the use of artificial intelligence in the military, and the protection of critical infrastructure are challenges that no country can tackle in isolation. And this is where the BRICS are gradually assuming the role of a testing ground for an alternative model of security governance to that dominated by Western structures. It is not yet, in fact, a military alliance and will likely not become one in the near future, but the growing institutionalization of strategic dialogues indicates a willingness to develop forms of coordination capable of influencing the global balance of power.
One of the most significant aspects of the New Delhi meeting concerns the stance taken toward Iran, which is perhaps the most contentious issue the entire partnership has had to address during this first half of the year.
During the summit, Wang Yi met with the deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ghadir Nezamipour, reaffirming China’s support for the Islamic Republic’s sovereignty, security, and national dignity. Particularly significant was the reception given to the recent memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington, which Beijing views as a potential tool for consolidating the regional ceasefire and creating favorable conditions for greater stability in the Middle East.
China’s position reveals an element often overlooked in Western analyses: Beijing does not simply aim to counter U.S. influence, but is increasingly seeking to present itself as a guarantor of regional stability and a diplomatic facilitator. This approach had already emerged in the 2023 reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia and now appears to be finding further confirmation. The Chinese are determined to preserve BRICS+ as an architecture of stability and broad-mindedness, certainly not to turn the partnership into a global “problem.”
India, too, has shown a pragmatic attitude, precisely in this direction. Doval expressed cautious optimism regarding the agreement between the United States and Iran, emphasizing how the stabilization of the Middle East could promote energy security and the continuity of global supply chains. For New Delhi, the Middle East is a vital region both from an energy perspective and due to the presence of a large Indian diaspora. Consequently, any reduction in regional tensions is considered a direct strategic interest. Sino-Indian convergence and the future of the Global South Perhaps the most interesting element emerging from the summit is the growing awareness, in both Beijing and New Delhi, that bilateral competition can no longer be the sole framework for interpreting their relations.
India and China will certainly continue to compete for economic, technological, and geopolitical influence. Unresolved territorial disputes, strategic differences in the Indian Ocean, and differing relationships with the United States persist, but both recognize that the new international context also calls for forms of cooperation .
The expansion of the BRICS, the rise of the Global South, the crisis of post-World War II institutions, and the growing fragmentation of the global economy are creating areas of convergence that would have been difficult to imagine just a few years ago. The normalization of relations between New Delhi and Beijing does not imply the formation of a strategic alliance. Rather, it signals the emergence of a logic of competitive coexistence, in which rivalry is managed through permanent diplomatic mechanisms rather than through continuous escalation.
On the one hand, the summit confirms the gradual evolution of the BRICS toward an increasingly sophisticated political and strategic platform; on the other, it highlights the slow but steady rapprochement between India and China, two powers that understand how the stability of Eurasia and the Global South requires a minimum level of mutual cooperation. The Global South, we should recall, is the primary arena for strategic investment by the world’s most important players. The shift from economic cooperation to security integration is a step made essential by the instability of global routes and the aggressiveness of Western countries.
The general impression is that the New Delhi summit offers a preview of what the international system might become in the coming years: an order—increasingly multipolar—characterized not by the absence of conflicts, but by the presence of new mechanisms for coordination among the major powers, kept in balance by shared security networks—true networks of exchange and mutual balance—where the domination of a “stronger” power over a “weaker” one is made impossible.
Who knows if, between now and the September summit—during the BRICS+ plenary session—we might be in for some pleasant surprises in the form of new security agreements.